Always Running
by Dixon8
Summary: Olivia goes to a college as far away from home as he can, trying to get away from her past but how long until the past catches up with her? (Re-done version.)
1. Chapter 1

_Hi everyone. As promised, here is the re-done version of this story. Made a lot of changes. Hope you all like it._

_**Please review.**  
_

Olivia was sitting in a Starbucks drinking her iced coffee and reading The Outsiders. She had read the book so many times, she pretty much had it memorized. She groaned when her phone vibrated; though, knowing that she had to put her book down to answer it. She looked at her phone and saw a text message from her friend and roommate Ali.

"On my way to get you, be there in 10 minutes. PARTY TIME!".

Olivia set her phone on the table and sighed. She loved her friend but she was so tired of partying. Olivia closed her book, grabbed her drink, and headed for the door. She had just got outside when she realized she forgot her phone. She muttered some curse words to herself and turned to go back in, bumping into someone who was walking out. Her coffee dumping down the front of her shirt.

"Son of a bitch." Olivia said.

"Oh shit, I'm so sorry." The man she ran into said.

"It's fine." Olivia muttered as she wiped some of the ice off of her shirt, getting even more frustrated when the coffee didn't wipe off with it.

"Are you sure? I can buy you another coffee or get your shirt cleaned." The man suggested.

"I said it's...it's fine" Olivia said, stuttering when she looked up into the blue eyes of the man standing in front of her.

She stood there for a few seconds before giving him a shy smile and moving quickly past him. She walked back over to the table she was sitting at to get her phone but when she got there, her phone was gone. Unbelievable. Who would want to take her phone? She had only been gone a minute. She ran her hands through her hair before deciding to leave, in hopes that whoever took it would return it to her. She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning she saw the blue eyed man standing in front of her.

"Uh, you left this on the table. I was going to give it back to you earlier but..." He pointed to her shirt and she nodded.

She sighed and took her phone, feeling a little guilty that she had snapped at him earlier. "Thank you."

"I really am sorry about your coffee...and your shirt." He told Olivia.

She smiled. "You can stop saying that. It really wasn't your fault." Olivia looked at him to see he was staring at his feet obviously feeling guilty. "You know, if you really feel that bad about it, we could...I mean you could...buy me another drink sometime."

He looked up slowly and met her eyes only for a second before shifting away. "Umm..."

Olivia shook her head and sighed. "Never mind."

Before he could say anything else, Olivia walked out of the coffee shop and got into Ali's car.

**-Always Running-**

When Ali pulled into the apartment parking lot, she and Olivia got out of the car and walked to the front door. Olivia took the apartment key out of her pocket, opened the door, and walked inside. Ali followed her in and threw her purse and jacket on the kitchen floor before walking to her room. Olivia rolled her eyes and went through the kitchen and into the living room where she took her jacket off and set it on the couch.

Olivia walked to her bedroom, took her coffee stained shirt off, and threw it in her hamper. She went to her closet and pulled out a ruffled pink tank top to go with her dark wash jeans she already had on. She switched her sneakers for black ankle boots and walked out of her room. Ali was in the living room waiting for her and pretty much shoved Olivia out the door and to the car.

Olivia wasn't surprised when Ali pulled into the Tonic parking lot. Tonic was Ali's favorite bar and as much as Olivia tried talking her into going to another bar, Ali refused. She liked knowing everyone who worked behind the bar and depending on who was working, getting free drinks.

The two of them walked in Tonic and over to the bar. They sat down and set their purses on the counter as they waited for the bartender. Ali leaned over the counter in attempts to see who was working but the bar was so busy she couldn't see him. After a few minutes, the bartender walked over to them.

"Hey Jimmy." Ali said to the bartender with a big smile, knowing she was guaranteed to get a free drink with him working.

"Ali, Olivia! How are my two favorite customers?" Jimmy asked.

"Good. Can I get a rum and coke? And a Smirnoff Ice for Olivia." Ali said.

Jimmy got their drinks and set them down in front of the girls. "I'll open a tab for you."

"Thank you Jimmy." Ali said.

Ali looked over at Olivia when she heard her laughing. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. Just, isn't it kind of sad that we come here so much we know the bartender? Maybe we should try hitting some different bars." Olivia said.

Ali shook her head at Olivia. "We're discussing this again? You know I love this bar. Not leaving."

About ten minutes later, a man set another Smirnoff Ice in front of Olivia. "So my friends and I were sitting having a few drinks when you and your friend walked in. Now, I thought I knew every girl here but you don't look familiar. Are you new here?"

Olivia looked over at the man that sat down beside her and slid the bottle across the counter back to him. "Not new, not interested."

He looked at the drink and sighed, sliding it back over to Olivia. "You know, when a guy buys you a drink, you're suppose to take it."

Olivia looked down at the drink that was now sitting in front of her again and then looked up at the man. "Really? I was under the impression the girl is suppose to take it if they are interested in the guy. And like I said, not interested. I'm not into players."

His smile faded. "I'm not a player."

Olivia laughed at him. "Oh please. You're Derrick Webb aren't you? Everyone knows you're a player."

She pushed the drink away from her and in front of Derrick. She turned in her seat so her back was to him and ordered another drink from Jimmy. When he brought over her drink, Ali ordered two shots and smiled at Olivia.

"So, you're going to do a shot with me." Ali said to Olivia.

"Not happening. I can't get drunk tonight. I have to do my paper still." Olivia said.

"You still haven't done your paper? I thought you said it's due Monday." Ali said in shock.

"It is due Monday. I haven't even started the paper yet. I can't do it. How am I supposed to write a paper on something I don't know?" Olivia put her head on the counter. "I'm going to fail History of Art."

"I told you that you shouldn't have taken that class. You don't know anything about art and you can barely pass a regular history class." Ali said.

Olivia snapped her head up to look at Ali. "Well it was either History of Art or a real art class. You have to take some form of art class to graduate and it was either history or get laughed at for my stick figures."

Ali laughed. "Yeah, your drawing does kind of suck."

"Did you say you need help in your History of Art class. I may be able to help you with that." Olivia heard the voice behind her say.

Olivia turned in her seat to find Derrick still sitting behind her. "You're still here? I thought you left."

"Nope. Still here. Do you want help or not?" Derrick asked.

"You're going to help me? I think I'd rather fail." Olivia said.

Derrick smiled. "Not me, my friend. He's an art major. He knows all about this shit. He pretty much lives for this shit actually."

Olivia thought about it for a minute. "Damn it. Fine. I don't trust you but I'll bite. If your friend can and is willing to help me, it would be great."

Derrick jumped out of his seat. "Great. I'll be right back, I'm going to go get him."

Olivia and Ali watched as Derrick walked away and over to a table with another man and a woman sitting at it. The man shook his head at something Derrick had told him. Olivia felt her stomach drop though when the man turned his head to look at the girls.

"Oh shit. Ali we need to go." Olivia said in a panic.

"What? Why? You finally found someone who knows art and can help you and you want to leave?" Ali asked confused.

"Okay listen, earlier today I ran into a guy...literally. That was why I had coffee on me when you picked me up. Anyway, I sort of asked the guy out and he apparently wasn't interested." Olivia told Ali quickly.

"Okay, what does that have to do with Derrick's friend?" Ali asked.

"It's him. Derrick's friend is the guy from the coffee shop." Olivia said quietly. "I can't talk to him. It's already embarrassing enough I asked him out."

"Well you better figure it out. Here he comes." Ali said singing the last part.

Olivia closed her eyes and took a deep breath when she heard Derrick behind her. "Girls, this is Travis, the art major."

Olivia took a deep breath and turned around slowly, making sure not to directly look at him. She knew he was staring at her though, she could feel it. She wondered if he was feeling as uncomfortable about this as she was.

"Hi Travis, I'm Ali and this is Olivia." Ali said smiling. "You remember Olivia right? You know, the girl from Starbucks. She probably looks a little different without the coffee on her shirt though."

Olivia brought her hands to her face in hopes to cover the blushing. "Oh God. You gotta be kidding me." She moved her hands away from her face and grabbed her purse. "I'm leaving."

Olivia walked through the bar as fast as she could, ignoring Ali as she yelled for her to come back. When she got outside she stopped, Ali drove. She could walk back to the apartment, it was only a few blocks away. She knew Ali would be pissed at her for walking alone after dark but at this point, she didn't really care. She didn't get very far when she heard someone walking behind her.

"Hey, Olivia. Will you stop for a minute please?" Travis asked as he ran to catch up with her.

Olivia slowed down a little to let him catch up but didn't stop walking.

"Where are you going? I thought you wanted me to help you?" Travis asked.

"I did until I found out it was you that was going to help me. I can just figure it out on my own. It wouldn't be the first time I failed at something." She stopped walking and turned to look at Travis when she noticed he was bent over, trying to get his breathing under control. "I guess the combination of running and drinking is not good."

"Apparently not." Travis said as he stood up. "You really would rather fail than to let me help you because earlier at Starbucks..."

"Oh yeah. I remember earlier trust me. It didn't work out in my favor if I recall." Olivia said.

Travis brought his hand to his mouth and started biting his thumb nail, something he did when he got nervous. "You know, most girls don't tend to go for guys like me. I guess the whole artist thing is a turn off. They're more into guys like Derrick so when you asked me out, it threw me off a little bit."

Olivia nodded. "As I told Derrick at the bar, he's a player and I don't like players."

"Wait, Derrick hit on you at the bar? Oh shit, this is great. I don't think I have ever heard of a girl turning down Derrick." Travis said excitedly, making Olivia laugh. He stuck his hands in his pockets and looked down at the ground. "So...can I..uh, walk you home? I mean, it's late and dark out and it's not really safe to be walking alone and..."

"You can walk with me." Olivia said quickly, cutting him off. He looked up at her to see her turn back in the direction of her apartment and start to walk away from him. When he didn't follow her, she turned back towards him and smiled.

"Are you coming or not?" Olivia asked Travis before resuming her walk to her apartment. He smiled and walked as fast as he could, without looking desperate, to catch up with her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Please review.**

Olivia and Travis slowly made their way to her apartment, neither one of them in a hurry to get there. Olivia crossed her arms over her chest and looked at the ground as they walked. She was glad it was cold out so she could hide how nervous she was. She saw Travis playing with his scarf and knew that he was nervous too. She tried to think of something to say to break the awkward silence but couldn't come up with anything worth talking about. She felt her shoulder brush up against Travis's and bit her bottom lip to keep from smiling.

"Are you really failing your art class?" Travis asked Olivia as they walked to her apartment.

Olivia glanced up at Travis and laughed, thankful that he said something. "Yeah. I really suck at art...and history. A combination of the two was probably not a good idea."

"Probably not. Don't worry, I'll help you pass. I mean, if you want. I don't have to help you if you don't want to." Travis said, making Olivia laugh. "What's so funny?"

Olivia stopped laughing and shook her head. "You are really shy aren't you?"

Travis's face turned red and he looked down at the ground as he walked. "I just...I.."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. It's just, you keep second guessing everything you say. Like you think it's wrong." Olivia told him. She looked over at him and saw he was still looking and the ground and had starting biting his thumb nail. _Great Olivia, you offended him. Say something, anything._ "It's not a bad thing to be shy you know. Girls usually go for the nice guys."

Travis looked up at Olivia and nodded. "That's what Jones says too but I have a hard time believing it."

Olivia started digging through her purse for her keys as they approached her apartment. Just as she found them, a cab pulled up and Ali got out of the car. She immediately started in on Olivia, yelling at her for leaving the bar and walking home by herself so late at night. Olivia just stood there and let her continue yelling until Ali saw Travis standing there.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry Olivia. I didn't know you actually had someone with you. I feel so much better now knowing you at least weren't alone and... Hold on. Isn't that the guy from the bar? He walked you home?" Ali asked.

_Uh-oh, looks like Ali did a few more shots after you left the bar. Look at her staggering over here. Nothing good is going to come from this. _Olivia hesitated a minute before answering. "Yeah Ali, Travis walked me home."

Ali squealed and quickly made her way over to them. Travis caught her when she tripped, making her laugh. "I'm sorry Travis. I was just so excited. You are the first guy Olivia has even looked at in three years. Her ex-boyfriend was a real asshole. He..."

"Enough Ali." Olivia said, cutting her off.

Ali looked at Olivia and smiled. "You're right. We don't need to talk about Ray."

Olivia turned to the door and unlocked it and turned back around. Travis looked very uncomfortable as Ali clung to him, playing with his scarf. Olivia walked over to them and started pulling Ali off him. "Come on Ali, lets get you inside."

Travis grabbed Ali's other side to help Olivia get her in the apartment. Ali looked at Travis and smiled. "You're such a nice guy Travis. Olivia likes nice guys."

"Ali, stop." Olivia said as she and Travis tried to get her inside.

Ali never took her eyes off Travis as they got in the apartment and walked in the kitchen. "Maybe if you're lucky, you can break Olivia's dry spell. You know, she hasn't had sex since her ex-boyfriend. That was three years ago."

Olivia closed her eyes and sighed. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and walked Ali to the living room and set her on the couch. She was glad that Travis didn't notice the tears in her eyes or at least he didn't say anything if he did. She hated it when Ali drank with people around. She always talked too much when she was drinking. As much as Olivia hated to admit it, Ali was right. She was very attracted to Travis and she didn't want Ali to scare him away.

After getting Ali settled on the couch, Olivia looked up at the living room and her mouth fell open as she looked around. There were clothes and shoes thrown everywhere. Ali sat up to pull a shoe out from under her and threw it on the floor. Olivia glared at Ali and started picking the clothes up off the floor. She walked to the TV stand to take the clothes off of it and stopped as she stared at the kitchen.

"Oh my God." Olivia whispered to herself. She walked over to the couch to Ali who was almost sleeping. She kicked Ali's foot to wake her up. "Ali? What happened to the apartment?"

Ali looked up from her spot on the couch. "What's wrong with it?"

"Seriously? Have you looked at it?" Olivia asked Ali, slightly irritated.

Olivia bent over and pulled Ali off the couch and led her to the kitchen. Travis followed them in case Olivia needed help with Ali but made sure he gave Olivia her space. He could tell she was upset and when he walked in the kitchen, he knew why.

Olivia's kitchen was a complete disaster. There were dishes piled up in the sink and on the counter. There was sauce splattered all over the stove top and on the wall behind it. One burner had some sort of liquid in it while another was completely black like something was burned. Spices and what Travis guessed was raw chicken juice was on the counter next to the stove. When Olivia opened the oven door, he could see whatever was being cooked in the oven had spilled over and was now burned on the oven and the oven racks.

Olivia looked at Ali and pointed at her kitchen. "Do you still need to ask what's wrong?"

"Oh, you mean the mess? Yeah, Stephanie came over while we were out." Ali said.

"Stephanie? Why was she in our apartment while we were gone? How did she get in our apartment?" Olivia asked Ali.

Ali laughed. "I gave her my key silly. She needed to use our kitchen to cook for her date tonight. Her oven is broken and won't get fixed until Monday. I guess from the clothes on the floor she decided to borrow an outfit too." Ali said, picking up a shirt from the floor and looking at it.

Olivia nodded. "Okay, well when is Stephanie coming to clean up her mess?"

Ali shrugged. "I'm guessing not for a while. I think she is leaving tomorrow to go home for the weekend. She won't be home until Sunday night. Well, I'm tired so I'm going to bed. Night."

Ali walked out of the kitchen and threw the shirt on the living room floor on her way to her room, leaving Olivia and Travis alone. Olivia went into the living room and sat down on the couch, putting her head in her hands. First guy in three years and the apartment looked like a tornado hit it. Travis sat down next to her. She picked her head up and looked at him.

"I'm sorry. My apartment usually doesn't look like this. I need a new roommate. She is driving me nuts." Olivia told him. "Don't get me wrong. I love Ali. We have been friends since second grade but with all the partying and stuff like this happening, I just can't live with her. I have to wake her up every morning and clean up all her messes. I almost feel like I'm her mother, not her roommate."

Travis nodded. "Derrick is that way too. He doesn't let people in our apartment when we're not there but he goes out a lot and picks up a lot of girls and isn't serious about his classes. I don't think he cares if he graduates."

Olivia looked at the clock, 9:00 PM. She knew it was going to take her all night to clean the apartment but she couldn't leave it like this. As pissed off as she was about Ali going to bed and leaving her by herself to clean this mess, she was kind of happy she did. Even though it was a big job for one person, Ali wouldn't have been much help. She always did things half assed and Olivia would have ended up having to do it over again anyway.

She looked at Travis who was still sitting next to her on the couch, playing with the end of his scarf. Olivia closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm so sorry. Come on. I'll umm...I'll write down my number for you so we can get together. If you still want to."

Travis smiled and blushed slightly. "Yeah, I still want to."

Olivia stood up and walked to the kitchen with Travis right behind her. She grabbed a pen and paper and found a cleanish spot on her counter. She wrote down her number and handed the paper to Travis. He glanced at the paper before folding it and putting it in his pocket. Olivia and Travis walked through the kitchen and stopped when they got to the front door. They both just stood there for a minute, neither one of them sure of what to say.

"So uh, I'll see you first thing tomorrow morning." Travis said before opening the door.

"Okay. Wait, tomorrow morning? I thought you were going to call me to make plans." Olivia said.

Travis laughed. "Well I figured I would set something up now since I'm already here. I was actually going to see if you wanted to start tonight but..."

"You were?" Olivia asked.

Travis walked outside. "Yeah but I think you're going to be busy tonight."

"Wait! You can stay." Olivia said, grabbing Travis's arm without thinking. Travis turned to Olivia and grinned at her, making her heart jump. She let go of his arm. "I mean, I can always clean the mess later. We could just go to my room instead. I don't have a desk in my room though. I always do homework at the table, better to concentrate. We could just do it on my bed though."

Travis's eyes widened. "I...uh..."

"Damn it! I didn't mean it like that. I'm not trying to get you in my bed or anything. I didn't mean for it to come out that way." Olivia said quickly. _Not that I haven't thought about it. God have I thought about kissing you. I wonder what you're like in bed. Are you sweet and shy like you are right now? Or are you more aggressive and in control? If Ali wouldn't have come home..._

"It's okay. I know what you meant. You didn't exactly hit me as someone who would sleep with somebody they met at a bar." Travis told her. _I wish you were though. It's been almost a year I got laid. Why do you have to be so damn hot?_

Olivia nodded. "Guess I should start cleaning so if you come back tomorrow morning you can actually, you know, see the apartment." Olivia said laughing.

Travis smiled. "I'll be back tomorrow. I'll text you when I'm on my way over."

Olivia bit her bottom lip as she smiled and nodded. He turned and walked away from her, towards his apartment. She went inside and closed the door, locking it behind her. She walked into the kitchen and to the refrigerator to get a drink. When she opened the refrigerator door, an open jar of spaghetti sauce fell out onto the floor. Olivia sighed and picked it up, throwing it into the sink. She walked to the closet and got out paper towels, wash clothes, and hand towels and set them on the counter. She got Lysol and dish soap out from under the sink and set them next to the rest of her supplies on the counter. She took one more look around the kitchen and picked up the paper towels. it was going to be a long night.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Please review.**_

"This is Travis. Just making sure you're up. On my way over." Travis texted Olivia, hoping it wasn't too early in the morning for him to be going to her apartment.

Travis put on his jacket and his scarf and walked outside. His apartment was only four blocks from hers so he decided to walk over. He figured the walk would be good for his nerves. His stomach was in knots as he thought about her. He was very attracted to her and he thought she was attracted to him, at least he hoped she was. He wasn't sure if he could deal with another girl turning him down.

Travis knew that if he struck out with Olivia, Derrick and Jones would be there for him. Jones would give Travis the "girls like the nice guy" speech and Derrick would tell Travis there are other girls out there and to just try again. Every time there was a girl that seemed interested in Travis though, Derrick acted jealous and did everything he could to get the girl. Even though Jones tried to talk Derrick into backing off, he always got the girl.

That's why Travis stopped dating and just stuck to one night stands. He got tired of girls leaving him for Derrick. Girls liked Derrick, Travis knew that. He was use to getting passed up by girls for Derrick and he was okay with it but when he had a shot with a girl, he wished Derrick would leave him alone.

Olivia seemed different though. Derrick had already hit on her and she turned him down. That was a good sign right? Maybe Travis could actually be with a girl and not have to worry about her leaving him for his friend. Not that Travis would do anything if Derrick did get Olivia. Fighting over girls was really the only problem Travis had with Derrick. Derrick always had his back when he needed him. Besides, it's not like Travis could move out, he had no money. Most of the time Derrick paid for Travis's part of the rent. Travis owed Derrick for a lot...he needed Derrick.

Travis felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out to read the text message from Olivia. "Can't wait! Looking forward to seeing you again."

As he reached her apartment, he stood outside her door for a minute. He wiped his hands on his jeans, attempting to wipe some of the sweat off, then he ran his hands through his hair. He was nervous about seeing her and he wanted to make sure he didn't look like how he felt. He really didn't want to screw this up. Finally, after a few minutes, he got up enough nerve to knock on her door. He was only waiting a few seconds before Ali answered the door and smiled at him.

"Been expecting you. Come on in." She told him, pretty much pulling him inside.

When Travis walked inside, he looked in the kitchen and noticed that it looked nothing like it had the night before. It was clean, very clean. All of the dishes were out of the sink and off the counter. Everything that was spilled on her counters, stove, and walls was gone. The things that were left out on the counters were all in order and very organized. Ali grabbed Travis's hand and pulled him with her as she walked past the kitchen and into the living room where he saw Olivia sleeping on the couch.

"She's sleeping? She just sent me a message saying she was up." Travis said to Ali.

Ali smiled at him. "I sent you the message. Olivia didn't hear her phone go off when you texted her. I have been trying to wake her up to tell her you were coming but I can't. I woke up at 3:00 this morning and she was cleaning in the refrigerator. She said things were much worse than they looked. She was really mad. I bet she says something next time she sees Stephanie."

Travis looked at Olivia and then at Ali. "You didn't help her? It was your fault the apartment was a mess to begin with."

Ali shook her head. "It wasn't my fault. I didn't know Stephanie was going to destroy the apartment. Olivia could have waited until Stephanie came back into town and made her clean it. Besides, I don't clean with Olivia. She is a little bit...OCD. She will freak out if things aren't the way she wants them."

"OCD?" Travis asked.

Ali looked over at Travis and noticed he looked a little freaked out. "She isn't like that with everything, only cleaning and organizing...and cooking. But she's only like that if it's her things. If she went to your apartment, she wouldn't care if it was a disaster. She likes to clean when she's mad and she cooks and bakes when she's nervous. They are habits she picked up after her ex- boyfriend..."

Ali stopped herself before she could say any more. She knew Olivia didn't want Travis knowing about Ray, she had already made that clear. Too much information may end up scaring him off and Ali thought Olivia needed this with Travis. It would be good for her. After watching Olivia try to get over what happened to her three years ago, she was happy to see she was finally trying to move on. Travis seemed like a nice guy so she wasn't too worried about him screwing Olivia over.

"Maybe I should go if she's sleeping. I can come back later. Tell her to get ahold of me when she gets up." Travis said as he headed back for the door.

"Wait! Don't leave. I mean, you're already here. Why don't you call your other two friends and tell them to come over. Olivia baked some brownies, an apple pie, and cooked taco stuffed shells yesterday morning. She was nervous about a test she had taken a couple of days ago. We have a lot of movies or we could play cards or they could just come over and eat the food. I'm sure she'll be making more soon. She's always nervous about something." Ali told him quickly.

**-Always Running-**

When Olivia woke up, she rubbed her eyes and looked at the clock. Eleven o'clock. She was surprised at how late she slept, she was always up early. She laid her head back down and closed her eyes. She didn't have anything she had to do today so she was just going to relax. Then she remembered, Travis. Her eyes snapped open and she grabbed her phone. No new text messages and no missed calls. He did say first thing in the morning didn't he? Was he blowing her off? Maybe she read into it too much. Maybe she just tricked herself into thinking there was something between them. It wouldn't be the first time. She sighed and pushed herself up off the couch.

Olivia walked down the hall to her room to grab clothes to change into after she took her shower. She grabbed a tank top and sweat pants out of her drawer and headed to the bathroom. No point in dressing up if Travis wasn't coming over. All Olivia was going to do today was work on her Art History paper anyway.

After her shower, she dried off, got dressed, and brushed her teeth. She debated putting on makeup but decided against it. If Travis did call her or she decided to go out, she would just change he clothes and put makeup on then. Olivia towel dried her hair and ran her brush through it before picking up her towels and walking out of the bathroom.

She walked to her room and threw the towels in her hamper then turned to go to the kitchen to start on her paper. She had just walked out of her room when she heard voices coming from the spare bedroom across the hall that she and Ali had turned into an entertainment room. Olivia opened the door and saw Ali, Jones, Derrick, and Travis sitting at the table eating and playing cards.

"What's going on?" Olivia asked Ali. Everyone looked up at Olivia as she walked in the room.

"Hey, you're up. We were trying to be quiet and let you sleep. What time did you end up going to bed anyway?" Ali asked.

Olivia shook her head. "I don't know. Somewhere between 3:30 and 4:00 but I never really made it to bed did I?"

Travis stood up and grabbed his drink before walking over to Olivia, following her into the hallway. "I didn't know you were sleeping when I came over. I texted you and got a response back so I assumed..."

Olivia laughed. "It's fine. I just wish Ali would have woke me up. What time did you all get here anyway?"

"I got here at about 8:30 and Derrick and Jones about half an hour later. Ali took my phone and called them to come over. I think she likes Derrick." Travis said. "Anyway, should we start on your paper?"

"Yeah. I was just on my way to the kitchen to start it. Hopefully be quiet enough in there for us to work." Olivia said.

Olivia walked to the kitchen with Travis right behind her. She set the books down on the table and looked at him. "Not sure what we need so I just brought out every book I have."

Travis sat down and started looking through the books. They were all different. Some were general history of art books and some were on specific artists and their work. "What's your paper on?"

"Ummm...I don't really know yet." Olivia responded as she flipped through one of the books.

"You really don't have a topic yet? Your paper is due in two days. Let me see your guidelines and we'll pick you out a topic." Travis said, taking the paper with her assignment on it.

**-Always Running-**

Travis and Olivia worked on her paper for most of the day while Ali, Jones, and Derrick stayed in the entertainment room. Ali came out a few times to check on them or to get drinks or snacks. She tried talking the two of them to stop working on the paper and have some fun with the rest of them but Travis kept telling her no. It was a good thing Travis was there because Olivia would have dropped the books to join them hours ago.

She figured Travis would have used the paper to hit on her but he never did. Derrick was telling the truth. Travis was really into art. He would start on a topic and would talk so fast, Olivia barely had time to process it. He never even noticed he was talking so fast until she would just sit there and stare at him or start laughing at him. He would usually stop what he was saying and repeat it for her but he would talk slower so she could keep up. They stopped what they were doing when they heard Ali come out to the kitchen again.

"Olivia, we ordered pizza and I told Derrick we would pay for half. The delivery guy should be here any minute so I need money. Where's your purse?" Ali asked.

"How much do you need?" Olivia asked as she walked to her bedroom to grab her purse from her closet. When she walked back out to the kitchen, Ali was sitting on the corner of the kitchen table waiting for her.

"I need $60. That will cover half of the bill." Ali said as Olivia took her wallet out.

"$60? What the hell did you guys order?" Olivia asked in shock, taking the money out of her wallet.

Ali rolled her eyes and took the money. "There are five of us Olivia and two of us are guys. You know how guys can eat."

Ali walked out of the room with Olivia's money and walked back to the others in the entertainment room. Olivia put her wallet in her purse and set it on the kitchen counter. She went in the refrigerator and pulled out a drink for her and another one for Travis. She walked over to the table and set Travis's drink down in front of him before sitting down in her chair. She closed her eyes and sighed. She knew Ali used her more than she helped her but she was a really good friend and was there for Olivia when she needed to be.

Olivia opened her eyes when she heard a knock at the door. She was going to answer it when she realized Ali had taken her money. Olivia stood up and started towards the entertainment room to get Ali. Just as she got to the hall, Ali ran by her and to the front door. She opened the door and took the food from the delivery man and paid him. She set the food on the kitchen counter and turned to Olivia.

"Thank you Olivia. I'll pay you back tomorrow when I get paid." Ali said.

Olivia shook her head. "Don't worry about it. You can just buy next time we go out."

"Are you ever going to tell me where you get all this money from?" Ali asked Olivia. Before Olivia could even respond, Ali turned to Travis. "She somehow gets all this money but refuses to tell me where from. I know mommy and daddy don't give it to her, she's not rich like Derrick, and she doesn't have a job. At least a job she wants to tell me about. I'm betting she is either a bank robber or a stripper."

Olivia laughed. "I'm not either one. As far as where the money comes from, some things are better to be kept a secret."


	4. Chapter 4

**_FanFicGirl10: _**_I know Ali and Olivia definitely have their differences but they grew up together. We'll find out later why Olivia keeps Ali around and puts up with as much as she does. Maybe Ali does more for Olivia than we all think._

**_gurl3677: _**_I know, Travis is one of my favorite Norman characters!_

**_DarylDixonsWife: _**_Aww...thanks hun._

**_Please review._**

"Alright, time for you three to leave. I have to work and Olivia goes to the library on Saturday nights." Ali told Travis, Derrick, and Jones. The three of them barely had time to get their stuff before Ali was pushing them out the door.

"Well Travis can go to the library with Olivia. He can help her with her paper some more." Jones said as they stepped outside. Travis looked at her quickly. Not that he would have minded going but he didn't like Jones volunteering him to go. He didn't want to sound desperate.

"Good luck with that. I was off one Saturday night and she refused to skip the library to go out and wouldn't let me go with her. She'd never go for it." Ali told them.

"I'm not skipping the library and we both know i would never get any work done with you there." Olivia told Ali. She looked at Travis and smiled. "You have got to be tired of working with me all day. You're already helping me tomorrow so take a break tonight. Besides, it will do me some good to study alone for a while."

"Yeah, yeah okay." Travis told her while nodding, then biting his thumb nail. Though he liked the idea of going to the library with her, he really was tired of looking at books all day. He only wanted to go so he could spend more time with her. _'Yeah right, she probably doesn't want to spend any more time with you than she has to. As soon as her paper is done, so is she.' _Travis thought.

Have a nice night guys." Ali said as she shut the door and turned to Olivia. "Get ready, we have to leave in twenty minutes. Unless you would like to go to the library looking like that."

Olivia looked down at what she was wearing and sighed. She forgot she had put on sweats and a tank top. '_Great Olivia, real attractive.'_ She thought to herself. She walked into her bedroom and shut the door. She hurried to her closet and grabbed her orange and red belly shirt, black leather pants, and black heels and shoved them in the bottom of her bag. She put some pens, pencils, and a notebook in her bag and set it on her bed. She pulled out a pair of jeans and a white button down shirt and quickly changed into them and put her sneakers on. She walked out of her room where Ali was just finishing putting her jacket on.

"Olivia, you ready to go?" Ali asked as she grabbed her purse and bag of extra clothes. She was hoping to talk Olivia into going out later. Olivia walked out of her room with her bag.

"Yup. Just let me get my jacket and we can head out." Olivia said.

Olivia put her bag down on the floor and grabbed her jacket out of the closet. After putting it on, she picked up her bag and followed Ali out the door and to her car. The whole way to the library, Ali kept talking about Travis. Olivia knew Ali was excited that she was showing an interest in someone but she she also knew Ali could be pushy. That was the last thing Olivia wanted was to be pushed into something.

Ali pulled in front of the library and Olivia got out and grabbed her bag. Ali told her she'd be back after her shift at the diner to pick her up, like she did every Saturday. Olivia started towards the building as Ali drove away. As soon as she knew Ali was gone, Olivia turned away from the library and walked two blocks to go to work.

**-Always Running-**

Saint's Diner was busy as it always was on Saturday night. Ali was running around like crazy waiting tables. Olivia had texted Ali asking her not to pick her up after her shift was over. She was staying at the library until it closed at midnight so she could do some more research for her paper.

As Ali walked out of the kitchen with someone's order, she noticed Derrick, Jones, and Travis sitting at one of the tables. She delivered the food and then walked to her three new friends.

"What are you guys doing here?" Ali asked, surprised to see them.

"What do you think we're doing here? We came to eat." Derrick said. Jones smiled at Ali.

"We also came to see what time you get off." Jones said.

"Oh, I get out at 10:00. I usually pick up Olivia after I get out but she asked me not to until midnight. Why, did you guys want to go out?" Ali asked.

"Yeah. We'll meet you here at 10:00 then and we'll go from there." Jones told her. Ali nodded.

"In the meantime, can we get three Cokes, three burgers and fries?" Derrick asked.

"Sure. It'll be out in a few minutes." Ali said.

Ali went through her work night like normal. Derrick, Jones, and Travis had ate and left, promising to be back at 10:00 so they could all go out. True to their word, a few minutes before 10:00, the three of them walked in Saint's Diner and waited for Ali to finish her shift. Although Travis was happy to be going out, he was a little bummed that Olivia wasn't going to be with them. He was kind of looking forward to talking to her about something other than art. He wanted to get to know her better and talking about art all the time wasn't going to help with that. As soon as her shift was over, Ali took her extra clothes out of her bag and went to the employee bathroom to change. When she was ready, she walked over to the table her friends were sitting at.

"So you guys ready to go?" Ali asked them.

"Yup. Where are we going?" Jones asked. Ali thought for a minute before answering.

"Have you ever heard of this bar...ummm...UltraViolet?"

"Yeah, we went there once a couple weeks ago. It was a weeknight so it wasn't very busy but it was nice. It was mainly college students there." Travis said. Ali smiled and nodded.

"Good, I want to go there. I have tried to talk Olivia into going a few times. She is always trying to talk me into going to a new bar but she won't go to that one. She said someone told her it isn't somewhere we would be interested in. Said it's dirty, the music is awful, and the customer service sucks." Ali said.

"Well, whoever told her that was lying. Maybe if you go and like it, she will change her mind." Jones said as she stood up.

They all walked outside and to Ali's car. Ali decided she would be the designated driver since she had to pick up Olivia in a couple hours anyway. It didn't take long for them to get there and Ali was happy to see it was only a couple blocks away from the library so picking up Olivia would be easy.

Ali pulled into the parking lot and looked at the building. It looked nice from the outside, not too flashy but making sure to stand out enough to draw people in. They got out of the car and walked inside. There was nothing really fancy about it, it was just a bar but it was definitely geared towards younger people. They had pool tables, some games, and a girl on stage singing. The crowd was listening to her and watching her but they didn't really seem as into her as Ali would have thought. The four of them walked up to the bar and ordered drinks. When the bartender came back a few minutes later, Ali was watching the girl on stage.

"She's good." Ali said to the bartender. He nodded at her.

"Yeah but people don't really come here to see her. She's great but it's Liv they all come to see. She writes her own music, she gives off a lot of energy, and she is a hell of a singer. This bar makes twice as much with her here than it does any other night. The owner hired her and gives her half of the extra money she pulls in. When we get slammed, like we are tonight, she bartends too." He told them.

"Is she bartending now since she isn't singing?" Jones asked him, looking around.

"No, just finished, she is going to be singing as soon as April finishes her song." He said.

Everyone clapped and cheered as April finished singing. April said a few thank you's to the crowd before walking off the stage and over to the bar. She sat down on the bar stool next to Travis and gave him a once over before scrunching up her face and groaning. She looked up a the bartender when a glass of water was set down in front of her. She looked around behind the bar before smiling at him.

"Hey Jack, where's Liv?" April asked the bartender.

"She's coming, she'll be out any minute." Jack told her.

"Well, if she's not, I have another set I could do. Wouldn't want to disappoint the crowd." April said.

Almost as soon as the words left April's mouth, the crowd started cheering, immediately followed by someone singing. The four friends looked around to find where the voice was coming from. Jones found her first and pointed her out to the others. None of them could believe what they were seeing. Standing a few feet from them and singing in a belly shirt, black leather pants, and heels was Olivia. Ali looked around at the other people in the bar. The bartender was right, everyone loved her. Ali knew Olivia had a job she didn't know about but she never expected it to be this. She expected Olivia to actually be robbing banks before she ever saw her singing again. Now she knew why Olivia kept her job a secret.

Ali kept her eyes on Olivia as she sang her songs. There were some that Ali knew that Olivia used to sing years ago and there were some that Ali had never heard before. Olivia sang each one perfectly, her powerful yet sweet voice making the crowd fall in love with her. Olivia was the only person Ali knew that could walk away from something and go back to it years later without anyone ever knowing she had left. She was as good as, if not better, than she was three years ago when she stopped singing.

Jones looked away from Olivia for a second to get another drink and happened to glance at Travis. She tapped Derrick on the arm and nodded to Travis who was just staring at Olivia. Jones wasn't even sure he was blinking as he bit his bottom lip while he watched her. He looked at her like he looked at his art, he was fascinated by her. Jones and Derrick smiled at each other happy to see Travis so into someone after being turned down so many times. Well, Jones was happy. Derrick thought Olivia was hot before and this just jumped her up to a whole new level. He wanted her and was going to do anything to convince her to sleep with him.

After Olivia was done with her performance, she walked back to the bar and sat down. She never saw her friends sitting a few seats down from her since the bar was so busy. The bartender walked over to Olivia and placed a Smirnoff Ice in front of her. Olivia gave him a confused look.

"Jack, you know I don't drink." Olivia said. Jack smiled at her.

"I know but someone bought you a drink. I told her you wouldn't take it but she begged me to give it to you." He told her. Olivia sighed and stood up as Jack pointed over to where the girl who had bought Olivia a drink was sitting. It didn't take Olivia long to figure out who had bought it. Olivia felt her stomach drop and her heart rate pick up at the sight of Ali.

"Oh shit." She said to herself. She walked over to where they were sitting and bit her bottom lip, waiting for Ali to say something which didn't take long.

"So, this is why you never wanted to come here. Let me guess, you don't ever actually go to the library either." Ali said. Olivia shook her head and Ali laughed. "Well at least I know where you're money comes from now. Although, I am a little upset that you never told me you were singing again. I haven't even heard you sing to the radio in over three years. When did this happen?"

"A few months ago." Olivia said so quietly Ali almost didn't hear her. Ali stared at Olivia for a minute as she grinded her teeth together. Olivia knew that whenever Ali grinded her teeth, she was pissed. She waited for Ali to say something but she never did. Ali simply got up and walked away from Olivia and over to sit down by Derrick.


	5. Chapter 5

**Please review.**

Olivia traded her Smirnoff Ice for a Coke when she saw Ali take her fourth shot. She knew she couldn't drive them home and since Derrick and Jones were doing shots with Ali, that left Olivia or Travis to drive. Olivia walked over to Ali and with a little bit of arguing, managed to get the keys from her. Ali was always doing this. She always said she was going to drive when the two of them went out but it always ended up being Olivia who drove. Ali knew that if she got drunk, Olivia would take the keys from her so she never had to worry. Olivia walked over to an empty table and put her head down on it.

"So, you get paid to sing? That's awesome." She heard Travis say. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Who said I get paid to sing?" Olivia asked him. Travis sat down in the chair next to her and nodded over to the bar.

"The bartender, uh, Jack. He said the owner hired you to sing because the bar makes more money and he pays you half of the extra money you pull in. On nights like tonight when the bar is busy, you bartend too." Travis told her, making Olivia laugh.

"Yeah, I originally started as just a bartender though. On Friday and Saturday nights, there are live bands and singers here. One Saturday night when I was working the band didn't show up and customers were really getting mad. Some of them started walking out the door so I just got on stage and started singing and people started coming back. After that, the owner made sure to have a spot for me every Saturday night." Olivia said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Oh, well how come you didn't want Ali to know you work here?" Travis asked.

"Yeah Olivia, why didn't you want me to know?" Ali asked bitterly as she sat down.

Olivia could tell Ali was still mad at her, she could hear it in her voice. Olivia swallowed hard before answering her. "I was going to tell you when I was just bartending but once I started singing...I just couldn't."

"So you didn't want me to know you are singing again? You tell me everything!" Ali almost yelled as she got even more pissed. Olivia scrunch up her face and shook her head.

"Not everything. I never told you about the tattoo." Olivia said.

"No you're right. You never told me about... Wait! What tattoo? Olivia you got a tattoo and didn't tell me? Where is it?" Ali asked her but Olivia shook her head. '_That bitch! How could she keep secrets from me? I'm her best friend, she's supposed to tell me everything!'_ Ali thought. She glared at Olivia and huffed. "Fine, don't tell me. Anything else you're hiding? Did you get married? You have kids?"

"No. I'm not married and I don't have kids." Olivia responded mockingly. Ali looked over to Derrick and Jones who were signaling for her to go over.

"This conversation is not over." Ali said as she got up and walked away, muttering to herself about thinking the two of them were supposed to be best friends.

Olivia sighed as she watched Ali walk away. She expected that to go a lot worse than it did. The alcohol in Ali's system definitely helped. Drinking always seemed to make Ali happier. Olivia looked away from Ali and back to the table. She jumped slightly when she saw Travis, almost forgetting he was sitting there. She looked at him for a second before blushing and quickly looking away from him.

Travis turned in his seat and tried not to pay attention as Olivia and Ali talked. He figured their conversation wasn't his business. It wasn't until Ali started getting loud that he turned to look at them. The more he watched their relationship over the past couple days, the more he questioned why Olivia was friends with Ali to begin with. Ali seemed to take advantage of her every chance she got and he had yet to see Ali do anything nice for her. He watched as Ali stormed off, muttering to herself. He could tell Ali had embarrassed her again when Olivia turned back towards the table. He decided not to bring up the argument and to change the subject instead.

"So, why did you stop singing?" Travis asked as he took another drink.

"It's a long story. I don't talk about it." Olivia said quietly. Travis dropped his head and stared at his drink, feeling bad for bringing up something personal. She looked up at him and smiled. "I'm starving. You ready to go?"

He looked at her and smiled before standing up. "Yeah. We just have to get the others and we can head out."

Travis followed Olivia to the bar so she could get her purse and jacket from the back. Then the two of them walked over to Derrick, Jones, and Ali. Jones was okay with leaving but Derrick and Ali didn't want to go. The other three ended up dragging Derrick and Ali out and to the car. Olivia was in the driver's seat and Travis in the passenger's seat, with the other three in the back. They heard Jones groan when Derrick and Ali started making out and grabbing at each other. Jones slid as far over to the door as she could, trying to stay out of their way.

As soon as Olivia pulled into the apartment parking lot, Jones quickly out of the car. Olivia and Travis laughed and got out of the car. They turned to see if Derrick and Ali were coming inside and saw why Jones was in such a hurry to get out. Ali already had her shirt off and was sitting in Derrick's lap in her bra. Derrick had his shirt unbuttoned and Ali's hands were running along his chest while his mouth was on her chest. Olivia looked at Travis and sighed.

"Remind me to never sit in the back seat of that car again." Olivia told him as she started walking to the apartment.

Jones and Travis followed Olivia to the apartment and after she got the door unlocked, the three of the walked inside. Olivia put her purse and jacket in the closet and went to the kitchen. She started digging around in her refrigerator and cupboards, looking for something to eat. She pulled out chicken breast halves, teriyaki sauce, orange marmalade, and a few other ingredients and set them on the counter. When she got everything she needed out, she turned to see Jones and Travis staring at her with wide eyes.

"Are you really cooking now? It's 2:00 in the morning." Jones said. Olivia nodded.

"I know but I'm hungry. This is something easy to make. It only takes about 30 minutes." Olivia said starting to get her chicken out of the package.

"And what exactly are we making?" Travis asked, looking at everything she had sitting on the counter. Judging by how many things she had out, this didn't look easy to make.

"Chicken Teriyaki. It's a recipe I found online." Olivia went in her recipe card box and looked through them until she found the one she was using. She handed it to Jones and Travis who looked it over.

"It does look easy. Maybe you can give Jones this recipe. She is the only one who cooks in our apartment and the best thing she makes comes from a box." Travis told Olivia, making Jones glare at him and Olivia laugh.

"Alright, Jones can you go in that cupboard and get me the canola oil." Olivia asked.

"Sure, where is it at?" Jones asked as she opened the cupboard. "Oh, nevermind. I found it."

Jones handed Olivia the canola oil and motioned for Travis to look in the cupboard. Everything was lined up and the shelves were labeled where everything was suppose to go. Olivia stopped what she was doing and watched Jones and Travis as they tried to find something out of place. Olivia started laughing at them, making them look up at her.

"Sorry Olivia. I've just never seen someone's kitchen so...organized." Jones said.

"It's fine. Come here, I'll show you both how to make this. Just because Jones is a girl doesn't mean she is the only one that can learn to cook." Olivia said, looking at Travis.

Olivia walked Jones and Travis through cooking the chicken and the fries they decided to make to go with it. Travis was surprised at how easy going Olivia was when they cooked. Travis and Jones had pans, bowls, and spoons everywhere and got food all over the kitchen. He expected her to be freaking out about the mess since Ali told him she was OCD but she never said a word about it and never once tried to pick up after them. Derrick and Ali walked in the apartment just as the three of them were finishing the food.

"What smells so good in here?" Derrick said as he walked in the kitchen. He stopped when he saw Jones and Travis in the kitchen finishing the food. "You got them to cook? How did you manage that? They never cook."

Olivia just shrugged and got five plates out of the cupboard. She handed them to everyone and got glasses out for drinks while everyone started getting their food. She dug around in the fridge for some drinks other than alcohol. She pulled out water, coke, and homemade lemonade and set them on the counter. After everyone got their food, they all went their separate ways. It was decided Derrick was going to stay with Ali in her room, Jones was going to sleep in the living room on the couch that folded out to a bed, and Travis was going to stay in the entertainment room. Olivia grabbed her food and headed to her room with Travis following her. Olivia walked in her room, set her plate down on her bed, and turned back towards the door. She saw Travis standing in her doorway, leaning on the door frame.

"Just wanted to say goodnight. We only have tomorrow to work on your paper so may be a long day." Travis told her. Olivia nodded.

"Yeah, goodnight." Olivia said. Travis smiled and went across the hall to the entertainment room.

Olivia sat down on her bed and thought as she started eating. She wasn't sure getting involved with Travis was a good idea, she wasn't sure she was ready for it. One look into his beautiful blue eyes though and she knew she was in trouble. Everything from his shy smile to the way he bit his thumb nail when he was thinking or nervous made him just so damn hot. She was trying to think of something, anything to convince herself that she should just see him to work on her paper but couldn't come up with a single thing. It didn't take long before Olivia was starting to nod off. She set her almost empty plate down on her nightstand and lay down, falling asleep almost immediately.

The next morning, Olivia woke with a start to someone knocking on her front door. She looked at her clock and noticed it was only 7:30 AM. '_Who the hell could be knocking on my door so early?'_ Olivia thought to herself. She sighed and got out of bed. She looked around as she walked slowly down the hall. Everyone else seemed to be sleeping still, including Jones who was sound asleep on the couch. When Olivia finally made it to the door, she opened it to see Mrs. Jordan with her two children, Danielle who is 3 and Haylie who is 6 months.

"Hi Mrs. Jordan." Olivia said sleepily.

"Hello Olivia. I'm here to drop off Dani and Haylie. Ali is babysitting today. Is she here?" Mrs. Jordan asked. Olivia nodded.

"Yeah, she's here. I'll get her. Would you like to come in?" Olivia asked.

"No. I have to get going or I'll be late for work." Mrs. Jordan said. She handed Haylie to Olivia, put the two diaper bags down, and knelt down to Danielle. "Be a good girl for Ali today okay Dani? I'll see you when I get out of work."

"Okay mommy. Bye." Danielle said before running into the apartment.

Mrs. Jordan stood up and kissed Haylie on the head before leaving. Olivia shut the door and looked down at Haylie who was grabbing at Olivia's face and smiling at her. Olivia walked into the kitchen and found Danielle looking in the cupboards.

"What are you doing Dani?" Olivia asked her.

"I hungry. I want this." Danielle said holding up a box of Lucky Charms.

"Okay, go sit down. I'll get you some." Olivia told her. Danielle ran over to the kitchen table and sat down. With some help from Haylie, Olivia got Danielle her cereal and set it down in front of her. She looked at Haylie and smiled. "You hungry too, Haylie? Let's go wake up Ali and we'll get you some cereal too." Olivia walked into the living room and shook Jones lightly.

"What?" Jones asked, still half asleep.

"Can you watch Dani for a few minutes? I have to go wake up Ali." Olivia asked. Jones opened her eyes and sat up.

"Who's Dani?" Jones asked looking at Haylie.

"She's sitting at the table eating cereal. Just make sure she doesn't dump it or something." Olivia told her. Jones nodded and got up and walked to the kitchen. Olivia walked down the hall and to Ali's room. She almost opened the door until she remembered Derrick stayed in her room last night. She pounded on Ali's door.

"Ali, wake up. Dani and Haylie are here." Olivia called through the door. She waited a minute but didn't hear any movement on the other side of the door so she pounded on it again. "Ali! Get your ass out of bed!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Ali told her before opening the door. She looked and Haylie and sighed. "Oh shit, I forgot. Give me a few minutes, I'll be right out."

Olivia walked to the kitchen where she saw Dani talking to the still half asleep Jones. She could tell by the way Jones was concentrating that she was having a hard time understanding Dani. Olivia could only pick out a few words of Dani's conversation, something about Mickey Mouse. Olivia listened to Dani talk, translating when she could, as she set Haylie in her Bumbo chair on the floor and started getting her baby cereal ready. When she was done, she walked over and sat down in front of Haylie and started feeding her.

Ali walked out of her room and down the hall, followed closely by Derrick and Travis who both froze when they saw the kids in the kitchen. Olivia stopped feeding Haylie long enough to look up at Ali but quickly went back to feeding her when she started whining. After Ali got herself ready, she took over feeding Haylie and Olivia went to her room, motioning for Travis to follow her. When she got to her room, she got her clothes for the day and turned to Travis who was standing in her doorway.

"I'm sorry Travis. I didn't know Ali was babysitting today. Hell, Ali didn't even know she was babysitting today...she forgot." Olivia told him.

"Well, we can't get your paper done with two kids running around. So, uh, we can always go to my apartment to finish it." Travis suggested. Olivia hesitated for a second, thinking it over. '_Travis__ is a nice guy...and insanely cute. Don't screw it up.'_

"Okay. Just let me get ready and we'll leave." Olivia said.

Travis left her room to let her change. A few minutes later, he saw her run to the bathroom to finish getting ready. After Olivia was ready, she and Travis gathered her books and papers and put them in her bag. They told everyone they were leaving and after Ali did a check to make sure Olivia had her cell phone, the two of them left. They talked lightly and quietly to each other as they made the short walk to his apartment.

When they got to Travis's apartment, Travis went to take a quick shower and change while Olivia set all of her stuff out on the kitchen table. She started looking through her papers and tried not to think about the fact that Travis was naked and wet in the other room. She couldn't believe the thought had even crossed her mind. She had only known him for a couple of days, she shouldn't be thinking of stuff like that. A few minutes later, she heard the bathroom door open and Travis walking back towards the kitchen.

Travis sat down at the table next to Olivia who was frowning and tilting her head as she read. Damn it, why was she so damn cute? Olivia looked up at Travis, catching his eyes for a second before he shifted his gaze back down to the books on the table. Olivia bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling, knowing that she caught him checking her out.

Travis was doing his best to try to explain things as Olivia added them to her paper. Olivia was trying to pay attention to what he was saying, she really was but she was finding it very hard to concentrate. Why did he have to smell so good? They were still sitting at the table working on her paper when Derrick walked in the apartment.

"You have got to be kidding me. Why are you home already? We have only been here two hours." Travis said to Derrick.

"Couldn't stand being with the kids anymore. That three year old doesn't sit still or be quiet." Derrick said, making Olivia laugh and roll her eyes. Travis stood up and walked up the stairs.

"I'll be back, smoke break." He told Olivia. Then he turned to Derrick. "You better be nice."

"I'm always nice buddy." Derrick called after him. He looked at Olivia. "You stress him out that bad he needs a cigarette already?"

"Very funny. No, actually, you're probably right. I know absolutely nothing about art and it is probably driving him nuts." Olivia told Derrick. Derrick smiled at her and sat on the kitchen table.

"What do you say while he takes his break, you come with me and take one yourself." Derrick said.

"Yeah, how about not." Olivia told him, looking back down at her paper.

"I get it. You're holding out for Travis but trust me, he's not looking at you as a possible girlfriend. He is completely obsessed with Naomi Preston. To him, all you would be is an easy lay. I've seen him play this a dozen times. Help the girl, get rewarded." Derrick said.

Olivia could feel her heart start to race and her breathing start to pick up. She swallowed hard as she tried to keep herself together. She looked back up at him, trying to keep her face emotion free. "And why should I believe you?"

Derrick jumped off the table and started walking away. "Because I can prove it. Follow me." Olivia sighed before standing up and following Derrick to a closed door. He stopped and turned to face her. "Welcome to Travis's room."

Derrick opened the bedroom door and moved aside to let Olivia in. She walked around his room, looking at all of the pictures of Naomi. They were everywhere. She walked passed his desk and glanced at his computer screens, Naomi. All over his walls, Naomi. She walked over to his back wall and stopped in front of the giant life sized poster of Naomi. She couldn't believe it. She thought Travis was just a nice guy trying to help her on her paper. Yeah, there was definitely an attraction between the two of them but she never guessed he was playing her for sex. She closed her eyes and sighed. She was just looking for a reason to not like Travis the night before. Now that she found one though, she wished she hadn't. She opened her eyes and looked up at the poster in front of her. This was too much for Olivia to handle. Sweet, shy, and smart Travis she could deal with but not crazy stalker Travis. Olivia was so busy looking around, she hadn't even noticed Derrick left and Travis standing behind her.

"What are you doing in my room?" Travis asked her, making her jump and turn around. She pointed at his walls.

"Naomi Preston?" She asked.


End file.
